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Basic pillows are one the simplest decorating items to sew, and with just a bit more work you can add a ruffle around the edge. Fabric stores offer a variety of trims useful for dressing up a plain, unadorned pillow. Look for ribbon trims that are already ruffled -- these are ready to add to your pillow so you don’t need to spend time ruffling your own fabric. Such ready-made trims have a lip of sturdy fabric attached. The lip allows you to attach the trim onto the pillow and should not show once the pillow is completed.

1

Measure your pillow form to determine the pillow cover’s dimensions. Add 1 inch to your desired finished size to allow for hems. Cut a pillow front and back from decorator fabric with sharp scissors, using your measurements.

2

Cut ruffled ribbon trim equal in length to the distance around the perimeter of the pillow, plus 1 inch.

3

Place the pillow cover front flat on your work surface, with the right side facing up. Place the ruffled ribbon trim against one side, with the ruffle facing in toward the center of the pillow. Starting in the middle of the side of the fabric, pin the ribbon trim to the fabric. Align the trim’s lip so that it is even with the raw edge of the fabric. Pin around the entire perimeter of the pillow. Ease the trim as you pin it around the corners to avoid puckering. At the spot where the two ends of the ruffled trim meet, tuck one end under the other, directing the edge toward the seam. This makes the seam less noticeable once you sew the seam.

4

Machine baste the trim to the pillow front. The stitching should butt up to the ruffled part of the trim. When you reach the corners, overlap the lip of the trim, making cuts into the lip where necessary, so the trim doesn’t bunch up.

5

Place the right sides of the pillow back and front together, with the ruffled trim in between the fabric pieces. Stitch a 1/2-inch seam around the pillow cover, leaving an 8-inch opening on one side for turning.

6

Turn the pillow cover right-side out. Insert the pillow form through the open side. Make a slip stitch, sewing by hand with a needle and thread, on the back side of the ruffle to close up the remaining opening.

Things You Will Need

Decorator fabric

Scissors

Pillow form

Ruffled ribbon with lip

Straight pins

Sewing machine

Needle and thread

Tip

To make a slip stitch, insert your needle inside the turned edge on the lower open side of the pillow at one edge of the opening. Make a short horizontal stitch. Catch the top edge of the folded fabric on the inside of the pillow in a short stitch -- just one or two threads wide. Pull tight. Repeat the sequence to the end of the opening. The stitches should all be on the inside of the seam, invisible from the outside of the pillow.

About the Author

Gwen Bruno has been a full-time freelance writer since 2009, with her gardening-related articles appearing on DavesGarden. She is a former teacher and librarian, and she holds a bachelor's degree in education from Augustana College and master's degrees in education and library science from North Park University and the University of Wisconsin.